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1 of 8Weeks of work brought me to this point: a car with mostly assembled mechanical systems but practically no frills.

Photo by Graham Kozak

2 of 8By Saturday morning, the engine compartment had more or less come together.

Photo by Graham Kozak

3 of 8The engine compartment may have looked sorted, but dashboard wiring remained a complicated mess.

Photo by Graham Kozak

4 of 8The unpainted dash panel was temporarily installed in a last-ditch attempt to get the car running.

Photo by Graham Kozak

5 of 8Chrome bits sit in the trunk, uninstalled, on the morning of the cruise.

Photo by Graham Kozak

6 of 8After missing the cruise deadline, I removed the dash to give it a proper paint job. Color-matched paint was close to the original, but differences in metal flake meant a total repaint was necessary.

Long story short: It didn't happen. Another cruise has rolled by, and the car still isn't running despite hundreds of hours of work and more than one sleepless night. So while I most certainly ventured, did I really gain anything?

The answer is yes, of course. I knew that my goal of rebuilding a car in a few months was ambitious—insane, even. But if I hadn't set a ridiculous deadline, the Packard would probably still be languishing in the garage. The prospect of wrestling, Greco-Roman style (complete with engine grime in place of olive oil) with a pair of transmission lines isn't appealing under any circumstances. Without a pressing need to get the car on the road, I probably would have found a way to put that and other similarly unpleasant tasks off indefinitely.

Further, I'm proud to say that I didn't cut corners, carrying out every step of the restoration process to the best of my ability rather than rushing madly toward the finish line. While that approach didn't result in a running car by Aug. 18, it does mean that won't have to go back and undo slipshod work moving forward.

After a few days away from the car, I'm ready to get back into gear. Most of the literal heavy lifting is done, and the remaining steps--like refinishing the dashboard--are frankly enjoyable.

It's hard not to be disappointed with my failure to meet my Dream Cruise deadline, especially when I seemed to be so tantalizingly close to a running car. Still, I have a few months of great driving weather left to enjoy. Be on the lookout for more updates as I move ever closer to getting the Packard back on the road.

The Woodward Dream Cruise is a celebration of Detroit's golden age and all things automotive, but the event as we know it today was born in 1995. As we prepare for the Woodward Dream Cruise, we'll be looking back at coverage from past years and keeping you up to date on the latest news. Whether you're looking for Dream Cruise photos, a bit of Woodward Dream Cruise history or recommended hotels and restaurants near Woodward, you'll find it all in Autoweek's Woodward Dream Cruise section.

Graham Kozak
- Graham Kozak drove a 1951 Packard 200 sedan in high school because he wanted something that would be easy to find in a parking lot. He thinks all the things they're doing with fuel injection and seatbelts these days are pretty nifty too. Read more »See more by this author»